My Boyfriend's A Vampire
by D.C-Lakes
Summary: The memories of the night he died have haunted him for months. Only one person can help him forget. Ethan/Rory. I do not own MBSV. Under revision, please see Chapter one for A/N.
1. Nightmares

**Title:** Nightmare (Ch 1 of ?)  
><strong>Fandom:<strong> My Babysitter's a Vampire  
><strong>Rating:<strong> Teen  
><strong>CharactersPairings:** Ethan/Rory  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Uber-angst, a little orgasm, and unladylike language.  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 3,360  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Rory has nightmares about the night he died. Ethan's dreams about the night end a little differently.  
><strong>Notes:<strong> I do not own MBV; it is Canadian…which means it should be way gayer anyway.

_**T**__he music is so loud he can feel it thrumming beneath his skin. Each thundering boom of the bass sends electric fire shooting through his nerve endings until he doesn't know where the music stop and he begins. Someone put something in his drink but he doesn't care. If he knew who he'd ask for more, because he's not the blonde kid with the dorky glasses anymore, he's molten honey. Hot, sticky, and sweet. _

_When the gorgeous guy with ice cold blue eyes appears out of nowhere and asks him to dance he just smiles slowly. They don't really dance, the guy leads him off the floor and deep into the house, but he still doesn't care. The guy's hand is cool against his skin, but it's okay he feels a little hot anyway. _

_Suddenly they're in the basement, he doesn't remember going down any stairs, but they're downstairs anyway. The guy flops into a beanbag chair and pulls Rory into his lap. One of those cool hands tugs his collar away from his neck and suddenly there's a pair of cold lips pressed to his shoulder. Man if only Ethan could see him now. The world lurches around him, jumping like film out of track. He loves Ethan. And even if Ethan doesn't really know he exists he can't just forget about him for strange guy. _

"_Wait, stop." The words come slowly, building up in his chest like bubbles at the bottom of well. They rise to the surface and pop, the cool lips pull away. _

"_Don't worry about it nerd, we're not going to make out, I'm just hungry." The words are the coldest thing yet. They slice through the enveloping warmth he's felt all night and it drains away leaving him naked. He tries to get up, get away, but everything feels so heavy and the arm around his waist is like a steel band cutting into his stomach. _

_Suddenly twin needles of fire stab into his shoulder. His body jolts and shudders at the sudden pain. A dry, ragged sob escapes his throat. Scalding tears well up in his eyes. The teeth don't withdraw they clamp and gnash against his skin. Somewhere under the fire he hears a sickening crunch and a wave of nausea sweeps through him as the guy bites through his collar bone. _

_Just like that it's over. The guy stands dumping him in the floor. A silent scream shreds his lungs as his ravaged shoulder strikes the floor. He twitches again and struggles to draw a breath. Inside his chest his heart is fluttering weakly against his ribcage like a dying bird. And then it stops. He lays there waiting for it to start again. When it doesn't he falls into darkness. _

Rory wakes panting, his t-shirt plastered to his body by cold sweat. It's been nearly a year since he became a vampire, but it still seems like every time he closes his eyes the nightmare is there waiting for him, waiting for him to fall asleep. The vampire who had killed him is dead, trapped in the Cubilae Animus, but he still sees those crystalline blue eyes in his sleep.

Outside the sun has just barely began to kiss the eastern sky. Groaning he tumbles out of bed and makes his way down the hall to the bathroom. He splashes cold water in his face and looks up into the mirror. A framed picture of a wildflower meadow from the wall behind him stares back at him.

Back in his room he strips to his briefs and slathers every inch of skin with sun screen, even the narrow strip of naked scalp down the centre of his head. When he's done rubbing the lotion into his cheeks he pulls some clothes out of the closet and pulls them one without looking. He can hear his parents sleeping in their room down the hall. For a brief moment he considers knocking on their door and telling them everything. He's tired, scared, and alone. But his mind conjures a look of stark horror on his mother's face so he pushes a pair of sunglasses on his nose and moves to the window.

The sun is poking over the horizon now and the sky is painted a rosy pink. Rory hunkers on his window sill for a moment, staring out across the town of White Chapel like a fledgling gargoyle. It's going to be a beautiful day; the trees are just beginning to change colors. The air holds the barest hint of a chill that will be long gone by noon. Still he doesn't enjoy it. He can still feel that cold, empty ache in the pit of his stomach. There's only one person he's ever known who can make that feeling go away.

Reaching behind he closes the window and launches himself into the air. For the briefest moment, no more than a second, he is falling then the air catches him. The moment he's aloft he can feel the strain of flying. He hasn't fed in a few days and even then he went to bed hungry. He shouldn't even be flying but its one of the few perks to being dead so he does it anyway.

**E**than has his own nightmares.

_He's inside the mansion on Edgewood. The party is over the vampires are gone. The floor is littered with plastic cups and other debris. The place is deathly silent and he has a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He watched the house for hours, even after Sarah had disappeared and Benny had gone home to sleep. But he didn't see Rory leave. _

_He calls his name as he searches every room. Finally he finds himself staring down into the black pit of the house's basement. Every horror movie he's ever seen tells him the basement is not somewhere he wants to be but he goes down the stairs anyway. _

_He stops at the bottom, his breath catches in his throat. The world lurches for him too, the film jumps the tracks. Rory is sprawled in the middle of the basement floor. A pool of blood is spread out around his head like a gory halo. His shredded shirt is a gruesome stain against his pale skin. _

_Ethan takes the last step into the basement and crosses the floor. He kneels at the edge of the puddle. He's breathing now but each breath trembles and shudders threatening to turn into a sob at any time. Rory's face is clean despite everything else; his hair is still soft and golden except where it hangs into the blood. He almost looks as if he were sleeping. _

_Ethan reaches out and brushes his fingers over Rory's cheek. He doesn't know why but he feels the need to touch him. Rory's eyes fly open, wild with terror, for a moment he struggles feebly as Ethan tries to calm him. Finally he falls still, his breath coming in harsh pants, his fear glazed eyes locked on Ethan's face. His lips are barely parted but Ethan can see the bright gleam of fangs. _

_Ethan reaches over and brushes the hair of Rory's face. His eyes flicker shut and his breathing slows, becomes less labored. The moment of peace lasts for mere seconds. Then he spasms and rolls onto his side curling into a fetal positions as hoarse screams tear themselves from his throat. Ethan grabs his shoulder. _

"_What's wrong?"_

"_My stomach is ripping itself apart." Rory manages to whimper. Ethan sits back on his heels and stares down at his friend. Its hunger pangs. Rory can't complete the transformation without human blood. If he doesn't transform he'll die. The thought process is over as soon as it begins. Ethan puts one hand on the back of Rory's neck; his fingers splayed out to cradle his head, and presses the other wrist to his mouth. _

_For a moment Rory doesn't react, his blue eyes stare at Ethan helplessly. Then Ethan feels his fangs sink in. The sensation is like having a soft electrical pulse driven into his skin. Without rhyme or reason the pulse shoots straight down his arm, through his chest, into his stomach and to his groin. It is so truly alien that for a moment he nearly rips his hand away from Rory's mouth but a pleased moan slips out against his skin and another jolt of electricity shoots through his body. It's like nothing else he's never felt and he wonders if this is what sex is supposed to be like or if it's something that nothing human could ever compare to. _

_The tingling jolts are coursing through his body one after another now and he's pretty sure his head is going to fly off. Every nerve in his body catches fire at once but the heat of the flame is concentrated in his lap. A strangled shout escapes his lips and for a moment the room disappears within a white haze_

Ethan is awakened by his own shout and the buzz of pleasure that causes his muscles to clench then release into liquidity. He lies in bed panting, feeling sticky warmth oozing in his boxers. He's lost track of how many times he's had the dream since that night, the night he turned Rory into a vampire. But every time he wakes up feeling sick with a rush emotions, the forerunner being guilt.

"Are you alright, E?" Ethan stifles a scream as he sits up to find Rory sitting on his window sill. The guilt is tripled by the presence of the subject and it doesn't sit well with him.

"What are you doing in here?" He hisses throwing a pillow at Rory's face. The vampire catches it and holds it like a teddy bear wincing like a puppy who knows the kick is coming.

"I was bored." He manages to stammer, struggling to sound nonchalant.

"So you broke into my room?"

"You invited me in." Rory protests weakly. "I was going to wait outside until you got up but I heard you say my name…." The guilt comes back and squashes his irritation flat. He's only angry because he'd been caught and Rory was the last person in the world he should be yelling at.

"I'm sorry." He groans scrubbing at his face. "You scared the crap out of me."

"I was only here for like a few seconds before you woke up. I swear I was going to leave but…"

"No, really it's okay." Ethan shakes his head. "I'm going to go take a shower. Just stay here and be quiet, okay?" Rory nods quickly but he still looks kicked. Ethan doesn't have time to make any further apologies. The warmth in his shorts is growing cold rather quickly and he wants to dispose of it before Rory catches a whiff. The last thing he felt like explaining at that time of morning was why he had had a wet dream involving Rory.

**T**he moment the door closes behind him Rory lifts the pillow he's been holding to his nose and inhales sharply. Ethan's scent floods his nostrils completely obliterating the empty feeling the nightmare always brought. He had loved Ethan before that horrible night, but now Ethan was the only thing that could make him feel okay again.

**I**n the shower Ethan scrubs at his skin until its pink but the dream clings to his skin stubbornly. He's never told anyone about the night Rory turned, that he came while his dying friend sucked on his wrist. It's not even the fact that I was gay that bothered him, and it was totally gay, it was the fact that Rory was doing something so simple as struggling to survive and he got off on it. And even worse he kept getting off on it.

At the last moment Ethan realizes he hasn't brought any clothes with him into the bathroom. Groaning he wraps the towel around his waist and stares at the bathroom door. Before that night he didn't mind being naked around Rory. He didn't make a habit of it. But if Rory was in the room when he needed to change his clothes he didn't make a big deal about it. But now, now things were different. They had experienced something so intimate together that Ethan felt overexposed unless he was fully clothed in the vampire's presence. Something that he wasn't even sure Rory remembered.

When he opens the bedroom door Rory is still sitting in the window, the sun has climbed higher in the sky and it throws light down on the crown of the vampires head. His hair is bathed in luminescent gold, each strand shimmering with its own inner light. Ethan pauses just inside the doorway and stares his heart thundering against his chest. It isn't the first time it's happened. It happens all the time. Suddenly he'll look at Rory and the boy is transformed, his awkwardness burned away to reveal a radiant creature. Each time it happens a curious warmth squeezes his chest tightly.

Ethan's fingers twitch at his side, itching to reach out and rake through the soft flow of Rory's hair. He shakes his head and clenches his fist so tightly his nails dig painfully into his palm. He can only describe it as a disturbance in the force, a snag in the fabric of his life that he doesn't fully understand and is too frightened to explore. He carefully keeps his eyes on the floor as he crossed the room to grab a pair of boxers out of his dresser.

"You've changed your body wash." Rory comments idly. Ethan jumps dropping the boxers back into the drawer.

"Um…yeah." He says retreating to the safety of his closet. He closes himself inside it before he drops the towel and begins to pull the clean boxers up his legs. "Hatchet came out with a new chocolate scent. I was kind of worried it would make me smell like food. Do I smell like food to you?"

"You always smell like food to me." Rory replies. Ethan stops with his pants unbuttoned around his hips and stares at the closet door. In the mirror his reflection blushes, the furious red spreading from his cheeks to his chest. "It smells good though." Ethan shakes himself and buttons the jeans then grabs a t-shirt off the hanger and pulls it forcibly over his head.

"So how did you get bored at six in the morning?" Ethan asks as he opens the closet and steps out. Rory's still sitting in the window but the sun has fallen behind a cloud and he no longer seems like a creature formed of molten gold and ivory, still the strange squeezing warmth refuses to leave its nest within Ethan's ribs.

"I was…I had…." Rory stammers Ethan's pillow is still clutched tightly to his chest. "I had a bad dream." He finally admits sighing.

"Oh." Ethan's voice is soft. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really. I'd kind of like to forget it ever happened." Rory says shaking his head.

"Well, I was thinking of working on my powers today. Do you want to help?" Rory stares at him for a moment, his expression unreadable, then smiling he sets the pillow aside and nods. Ethan grins. "Alright I've been reading about it on the internet and what I can do is called telemetry." He explains sitting down on the edge of his bed. "All I have to do is touch something and I get a psychic impression about it. The only problem is it doesn't work all the time." He says sighing. "I think if I practice I can get better at it, maybe even start to unlock other powers."

"Cool." Rory says grinning. "What do I do?"

"Well I've really only had my stuff to work with and I never can tell if I'm picking up and impression or just remembering something. I thought maybe I could use something of yours." Rory suddenly looks uncomfortable but after a moment of silence he unclasps his watch from his wrist and hands it to Ethan.

Ethan takes the watch and holds it in his hands, focusing on the feeling of the cool metal against his fingers. For a moment nothing happens, he tightens his focus and rubs his thumb across the smooth quartz of the watch face. Suddenly the world pulls away, his stomach plummeting at the sudden sense of vertigo.

When the world settles back around him he's standing in a bathroom. Rory is huddled over the toilet sobbing quietly; the water is cloudy and pink. Ethan's stomach plummets again as he realizes where he is, when he is. He struggled against the vision but he's stuck tight, trapped in the aftermath of Rory's transformation.

He hears the creak of a footstep at the top of the stairs in the other room. Rory spins around to face the bathroom door. His face is tearstained, his eyes wide with panic. Turning he huddles in the space between the wall and toilet, making himself impossibly small. Ethan feels his panic and looks for a place to hide but when he reaches out to touch the bathroom door his hand goes through it. He's a ghost in a memory.

"This should be the last one." A voice accompanies the sound of footfalls on the stairs. Rory whimpers and Ethan turns to look at him. His bottom lip is trembling and his pupils have spiraled down to pin pricks. Ethan wants to go over and touch him, comfort him. But he can't.

"You think he's still alive?"

"No way, I drank the little runt dry." Fire erupts in Ethan's stomach and he walks through the wall into the other room. This is the vampire the killed Rory. "Jesse said not to even bother feeding him; he's too pathetic to turn." Ethan stops, shock stealing the fire. He knows that Rory is in the other room listening. Turning he goes back into the bathroom. Rory is still wedged in the corner but now his hands are pressed against his face, his shoulders shake. "He's not here."

"Maybe someone already threw him out?"

"I guess. I didn't want to touch him again anyway. He cried like a little bitch the whole time." The vampire chuckles, the vision glitches as Ethan's pulse speeds. He turns and runs into the room with the vampires. They're frozen suspended in time.

"He wasn't just some little snack for you to throw away when you were done. He's my friend." Ethan rushes forward and tries to push the vampire but he goes right through. Spinning he glares at the creature that murdered Rory. Recognition dawns on him. He remembers this guy. During the week around Rory's death he had killed so many vampires it was hard to keep track of them all. But now that he's standing face to face he remembers this one, remembers shoving a sharpened pencil through his chests, remembers watching the look of shock as fire consumed him from within. Satisfaction stole some of the edge from his anger. Ethan walks around and gets in the vampire's face.

"I killed you. You're dead and he'll live forever. Who's pathetic now?" The vision flickers and fades. The world falls away again before coalescing into Ethan's room. Rory's watch falls from his nerveless fingers clattering against the floor. He stares down at the watch for a moment then looks up to Rory. But the window sill is empty.

A/N: I haven't really felt like I was doing Animal justice for a while now. In my head it is a thing of epic beauty, but what I've been posting feels half finished, incomplete. So I'm giving it another go because I think the story in my head is worth telling. So over the next few days the old chapters are going to disappear and new chapters will pop up as a finish them. I hope I am able to keep enough of what you loved about the old story and make it even better.


	2. My Boyfriend is a Vampire

**Title:** My Boyfriend is a Vampire (Ch 2 of ?)  
><strong>Fandom:<strong> My Babysitter's a Vampire  
><strong>Rating:<strong> Teen  
><strong>CharactersPairings:** Ethan/Rory  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Super-unladylike language, more uber-angst, another little orgasm, cuddling.  
><strong>Word Count<strong>: 3,730  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Rory gets whumped a little. Ethan curses. Confessions are made, blood is shed.  
><strong>Notes:<strong> I do not own MBV, it is Canadian…which means it should be way gayer anyway. I do own the state of Kentucky just don't tell the governor that, it would break his little heart.

Rory begins feeling uneasy the moment he hands Ethan the watch but he can't bring himself to say no. There is so much that Ethan could see so many things he doesn't want him to know. He hopes that Ethan won't be able to see anything but after a moment of concentrations the seer's eyes turn white. Rory fidgets on the window sill waiting for the vision to end, but it seems to drag on for hours. Finally he can't take it anymore. He slips backwards through the window and falls into the rose bushes.

He hears a sickening crack as he lands, a flash of white hot pain shoots through his ribs. He hisses writhing against the pain but that only makes it worse. His bones should be knitting, the pain should be fading. But it's been too long since he's fed. His body needs energy to heal itself and without blood the battery is dead.

Groaning he flips onto his stomach and manages to push himself to his feet. His head swims dizzily as his ribs protest the movement but he pushes himself into the thicket behind Ethan's house. All he needs is one squirrel. One squirrel will be enough to kick start the healing process.

Hunting has never been easy for him. He lacks the speed and agility of the other vampires he knows. Even Sarah, when she was just a fledging, was more graceful than he is. The damage to his ribs on makes it worse. Every time he lunges at a squirrel it scampers away and he lands on his stomach causing his broken ribs to grind painfully together. He bites back screams and waits for the pain to fade enough for him to stand.

Ethan goes over to the window and looks out. He knows something is wrong, he can feel it in his gut. Looking down only confirms his suspicions. One of his mother's prized rose bushes is smashed against the ground. He wastes no time pulling on shoes and running down the stairs. His family is still sleeping in but he doesn't stop to write a note. He slips out the back door and into the thicket.

He stands for a moment on the edge of the trees trying to decide which way to go when he hears a pained grunt from a few hundred yards into the trees. He follows it, walking at first then running. Slender branches slap at his face but he ignores them. That sense of unrest is growing with every second.

He finds Rory laying face down at the bottom the tree. He skids to a stop throwing a spray of freshly fallen leaves over the vampires back. Rory jumps and looks up groaning miserably as the movement tugs on his ribs. Ethan kneels beside him, a hand coming to rest of his back.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine." Rory grunts trying to push himself up. His arms shake underneath of him and he falls back down. This time he shudders as the pain incapacitates him, his muscles locking against it.

"Sure you are." Ethan grumbles. As gingerly as possible he rolls Rory onto his side, wincing as the vampire grimaces at the movement. Rory's chest and stomach tell a different story. His shirt is stained with mud and blood and riddled with rips and tears. Ethan tugs it up and gasps at the angry red swelling just below Rory's armpit.

"Why aren't you healing?" He asks reaching out to gingerly touch the wound. Something moves under the skin and Rory convulses.

"I haven't had anything to eat in a while." Rory manages to force the words between pants. "There aren't enough squirrels around here anymore."

"Sara catches rats in the cemetery."

"I'm afraid of rats."

"Of course you are." Ethan says smiling softly. "Why don't you eat people like Erica?" He can't believe he's advocating feeding from humans, but Rory's in bad shape.

"Nobody tastes like…" Rory stops and looks away.

"What?" Ethan asks impatiently. Seeing Rory in pain causes his stomach to knot.

"Nobody else tastes like you do, Ethan." Ethan knows his blood is special, he's worth his weight in gold to the vampires, he doesn't even really understand what H deficient means but to them it meant tasty.

"I didn't know if you remembered." Ethan says quietly, a blush creeping up his face. Rory smiles at him, or at least he thinks it's a smile.

"Your first time isn't something you really forget." He tries to laugh but it comes out as a agonizing wheeze.

"Why didn't you just say something?" Ethan asks. He reaches out and brushes his hand over Rory's forehead, its burning hot.

"I don't want you feeding me just because I'm pathetic." Rory murmurs his eyes staring up into the trees. The word strikes a cord deep within Ethan. The vision is still too fresh in his mind, he can see the vampires sneering face. He snaps.

"You are not pathetic." He says grasping Rory's collar with one hand. Rory's eyes go wide. "That fucking loser is dead, but you're still a live. You're still a live because I gave you my blood and I didn't do it because you're pathetic." Ethan lets go of his shirt and steps away staring into the forest.

"Why."

"What?"

"Why did you do it?" It's a question he's asked himself a hundred times. The answer is always the same.

"Because I couldn't stand to let you die." He says turning. Rory's still lying there flat of his back in the leaves but his eyes track Ethan carefully. "Because I didn't want to live in a world where a monster can just come out of nowhere and take you away. I went into that basement that night and you were lying there on the floor so cold and still. And I felt like something was gone, like the world had gotten darker." He walks over and sits on the ground beside Rory. Rory's staring up at him and there's something hopeful in his eyes, something that calls out to the fluttering warmth that has taken up roost in his chest. He rolls onto his hands and knees and shifts until he's straddling the vampire. Rory's eyes are wide and his breath is coming in little gasps. "I didn't want to be in a world without you in it." Ethan bends his head down and brushes his lips against Rory's. Rory's eyes flutter shut and he sighs.

The warmth in Ethan's chest explodes and the snag in the fabric of his existence smoothes out. He's been struggling, fumbling to find a word, a word to describe what he's been feeling. One word was obvious, but he pushed it away time and time again. It didn't make sense, didn't fit in with the way he saw the world. But words can be tricky, they won't be denied. Simple little words like truth and love are more adamant than most. And the truth was: he loved Rory.

Ethan ends the kiss pulling his head away to stare down into Rory's face. Rory's eyes flutter open. They are the rich blue of a spring day clouded and dazed. Ethan smiles and strokes a hand over his muddy cheek. Rory's eyes slowly drift back into focus.

"Oh god, I'm dead." He whimpers pressing his hands over his face.

"What?" Ethan chuckles incredulously. He leans back, resting some of his weight on Rory's legs, and stares down at the vampire.

"You kissed me and now you're sitting in my lap. Either I'm in heaven or you're going to turn into Benny any second."

"I'm pretty sure you're still alive, Ror." Ethan says smiling. "I don't think they have busted ribs in heaven."

"You're not going to turn into Benny?"

"I wasn't planning on it."

"Oh, good." Ethan climbs off of Rory's lap and helps him sit up "Come here." Tilting his head to the side he tugs the neck of his shirt to the side revealing his shoulder.

"Ethan…."

"Rory, if you keep trying to catch a squirrel in this condition you really are going to kill yourself." He says rolling his eyes. "I guess I could always call Sarah and see if she'll catch a couple of rats and bring them over." Rory shakes his head quickly and closes the distance between them.

"If it hurts tell me and I'll stop." Rory says licking his lips.

"It doesn't." Ethan says smiling softly. Rory places one hand behind Ethan's head, tangling his fingers in his black curls. He wraps the other one behind Ethan's back. He stares at the smooth expanse of Ethan's shoulder for a moment. He can see the pulse flickering under the skin and it causes his mouth to water.

"I don't know if I can do this." He whispers. Ethan puts one arm around his un-injured side and pulls him a little closer.

"What's wrong?"

"You're not food, Ethan. You're…I…"

"I'm not food, Rory. My blood is. Everything else we can talk about later. Right now you need to feed." His voice is low and slow brooking no argument. Rory nods and leans in.

The moment his lips touched Ethan's shoulder he feels Ethan's hand come up and cradle the back of his head. It's all the invitation he needs. His fangs ache as they lengthen, sliding out of his gums. He takes one deep breath then sinks them into Ethan's shoulder. He automatically stiffens. Rory tries to pull away but Ethan's hand hold him in place.

"It's okay, don't stop." His voice is breathy and desperate but the next moment Rory feels a blast of energy surge through his body. It's like the blood is exploding through his system. He feels his ribs knit under his skin and a thousand other little aches he hadn't realized were there disappear.

They fall away from each other at the same time. Ethan falls to his back writhing against the ground like a cat. Rory falls onto his side and twitches. It's like that first night all over again, he feels powerful and alive. After a moment the new energy raging through is body settles to a dull roar.

"You okay, Ethan?" Ethan is lying a few feet away grinning docilely into the treetops. Rory walks over and shakes his shoulder gently. Ethan blinks a few times then his eyes focus on Rory.

"I'm good." He says sitting up. Rory gently tugs his shirt away and examines the bite mark on his shoulder. It's already stopped bleeding. It feels tender when Rory brushes his fingers over it, but at the same time to touch sends another pulse through his already overloaded nervous system. He winces as he sees Rory's nostrils flare slowly.

"Hey, Ethan?"

"Yeah, Rory?"

"Why do you smell like the sock you keep under your mattress?" Rory asks, his face a mask of innocence. Ethan's face goes blank, a bright blush blooms across his cheeks.

"How do you know about the sock I keep under my mattress?"

"It smelled good, I went looking for it. It was kind of crunchy."

"Oh god, kill me now." Ethan murmurs pressing his hands over his face. "Seriously, Rory, seriously?" The innocent look on Rory's face melts away leaving behind a devilish grin.

"Does that happen every time I bite you?" He asks the grin growing even wider, his eyes dancing mischievously.

"Yes." Ethan groans pathetically. "I don't know why."

"That happened the night I turned?"

"Yes."

"Awesome." Rory says standing to help Ethan up.

"That's all you have to say?" Ethan asks frowning irritably. He agonized for months over what happened that night. Each new dream made him feel horribly for days. And all Rory could say was 'awesome.'

"Do you deny that my ability to make you cream your pants with my teeth is profoundly cool?" Rory asks smirking cockily. It's a side of him that Ethan has never seen. The Rory that he's used to dealing with is more or less an undead golden retriever: blond and adorable but not too terribly bright.

"You're not as stupid as you act are you?" He asks his eyes narrowing suspiciously. Rory simply shrugs, but Ethan's sure he sees the ghost of a grin flicker across his features. "Did you seriously sniff out my 'alone time' sock?"

"Didn't really have to." Rory says shaking his head. "I can smell it the minute I come through the window. It would be kind of gross if it wasn't yours. Have you ever noticed I won't get within a hundred feet of Benny's room?" Ethan turns and heads back towards his house.

"I'm throwing that sock away and using a can of air freshener on my bedroom."

"Hey, wait! That stuff stinks." Rory protests running after him.

A while later, after the sock is triple bagged and placed at the bottom of the garbage can; and the room is fumigated to the extent that Rory has to step outside until the acrid chemical scent dies down. They find themselves once again alone in Ethan's room. But as far as Ethan's concerned is a whole new world.

"How long have you felt like this?" Rory asks staring up at Ethan. Ethan is sitting against the head of his bed; Rory's head is in his lap. He's spent the last half hour combing his fingers through his hair. If anything it's softer than he imagined.

"I don't know really. I may have had a few stray thoughts before, but after that night I couldn't keep you off of my mind. Sometimes I would be lying in bed and I could see you smiling and laughing every time I closed my eyes. It was weird but good. Then I would see you and I'd notice how soft your lips looked, or how blue your eyes are, or how your hair is just so…." Ethan falls quiet, suddenly uncomfortable. His hand slips away from Rory's hair. He doesn't even really know if Rory feels the same way about him. He's said and did things, but he still doesn't really know.

"You're lucky." Rory says reaching over to take his hand. Ethan stares at their intertwined fingers. Rory's have a light dusting of nearly invisible hair on the back of his knuckles. "I think I've been in love with you since the moment I met you." Ethan struggles to remember the exact moment Rory came into his life. He's been around so long it just seems like he's always been there. Finally he stumbled across the memory.

"We were five, Ror." He says smiling softly.

"Yeah, I know." Rory brings their hands up over his face, examining them closely. "You and Benny were playing in the sand box at the playground. We had just moved here and I still had an accent. Benny made fun of it; you said you thought it sounded cute. I can remember the look on Benny's face; it was like you had grown two heads or something. After that I didn't care if I had to put up with Benny's bullshit, it was worth it if I could be near you."

"I completely forgot about your accent." Ethan says frowning. "It really was cute." Rory shrugs.

"The teachers out here couldn't understand a word I said, so I started smoothing it out. My parents don't even have it anymore. Mom does when she's pissed about something, but I haven't heard it in forever."

"Where were you from again?"

"Louisville, Kentucky." Rory shakes his head. "I bet they don't have vampires there." His voice is small, distant, and quiet. Ethan squeezes his hand.

"I thought you liked being a vampire."

"I do most of the time. But sometimes I wonder what it'd be like if I hadn't been bitten. What our lives would be like if Jesse and his hoard had never come to White Chapel. I guess we wouldn't be here now though."

"I don't know." Ethan sighs. "I almost lost you that night Rory. I guess it kind of jump started something that was already there. Because it felt so different than anything else I'd ever felt before. Seeing you there on the floor, it just tore something inside of me. Why didn't you ever say anything?" Rory closes his eyes; his thumb is making small circles on the back of Ethan's hand.

"I didn't think you could ever feel the same way. I was afraid that if I said anything you would freak out, maybe even hate me. I finally decided I would rather be around you even if I couldn't be with you, than to be pushed away from you. What about you?"

"Ror, you're a vampire. You could have killed me dead."

"Oh…good point." He says solemnly. "I…I don't know where we are."

"We're in my bedroom." Ethan says rolling his eyes.

"But where are _we_, me and you, together."

"Oh." Ethan says frowning pensively. "Where do you want to be?"

"I want to be with you. I want this." He says lifting up their hands. "I want kisses and hugs and your fingers in my hair. I want to tell Sarah to back off or I'll chew her face off." Rory says grimacing. Ethan laughs.

"You're jealous of Sarah?"

"She's always over here. You're always running to her to save you. I thought you were in love with her."

"She's always over here because she's Jane's babysitter. I always run to her to save me because you can't go one day without getting captured by whatever monster we're fighting. Do you realize how many times I've had to save you? You know at least Mario and Link get a kiss when they rescue their princesses." Rory sits up and turns around to face him. He stares at Ethan for a moment, his eyes flickering over his features as if memorizing every one. Finally he leans in and they kiss.

"How's that Mario?" He asks grinning.

"Worth every horrifying thing I've ever had to snatch you away from." Ethan says smiling. Rory lies back down, this time on his side. He captures Ethan's arm and draws patterns in the dark, downy hair with his finger. "What about Erica, huh? You spent a whole lot of time chasing her considering you were supposed to be in love with me the whole time. You even kissed her in the back of that ambulance."

"I thought I was going to die. I didn't want to die without ever having kissed anyone. The rest of it, I guess I was trying to make you jealous. Kind of stupid."

"Not really. I almost staked her when Sarah finally got the back of that ambulance open." Rory laughs, the sound is high and bright. Ethan's sure he's never heard him laugh like that before. "I want this too. I spent a lot of time thinking about it, trying to figure out how my feelings for you had changed. In the end there's only one answer…." Ethan doesn't get to finish his sentence. The next minute Rory his gone and his bedroom door is swinging open. He turns like a deer caught in the headlights. His father is standing there in his pajamas and a robe.

"Hey, champ." He says smiling warily. "Are you feeling alright? You haven't been down for breakfast yet." Ethan glances at his alarm clock, it's almost noon. His stomach grumbles as it suddenly remembers there are other things in the world besides Rory.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just got a little distracted." He says shrugging. He notices his father staring at his jeans. There's mud smeared on his pant legs. His father's eyes move to the window and back.

"Drugs?"

"No." Ethan scoffs.

"Anything illegal?"

"No."

"Are you using protection?"

"Dad!"

"Sneaking out at night is one thing, Ethan. I can let that slide a little. But if you come home and tell me you've got somebody's daughter pregnant it's going to be my fault for not keeping a better eye on you. Do you understand?"

"Don't worry, Dad. I definitely won't be getting anyone pregnant." For a moment his father looks relieved then suddenly he looks uncomfortable.

"Right. Well don't let your mother catch you, you know how she worries." Before Ethan can respond his father is gone, the door closing behind him. The moment he hears his father's footsteps on the stairs he gets up and starts looking around the room. He barely manages to suppress a startled shout when Rory pops out from under his bed.

"Sorry, I heard him coming and this was the closest place to hide." He says as he stands dusting himself off. "I really don't want your dad to catch me in here."

"He doesn't know I'm gay, Rory."

"That's what you think." Rory says sitting on the edge of the bed. "I hate to be the one to tell you this, Ethan. But when you said you weren't going to be getting anymore pregnant his heart skipped a beat. I heard it."

"Man, I blame that stupid demon that possessed Sarah." Ethan groans brushing his hands through his hair. "Do you really think he thinks I'm gay?" Rory shrugs. "Do your parents know?"

"E, my parents don't know I'm a vampire."

"Point. Do you think I should tell them?"

"It's up to you. I'm okay with keeping it on the dl as long as we can be together. If you want to come out, I'll come out with you." Ethan nods but it still doesn't do anything to sooth the sudden twist of knots in his stomach. "Listen, I should probably get going, if you don't go down there soon they're just going to worry about you. I'll come back later tonight and we can hang out or something, okay?" Ethan snaps himself out of his stupor and nods. Rory leans close brushing their lips together then disappears out the window. Ethan stands and goes to the window but Rory's already out of sight.

He closes the window and turns towards the door. Sighing he rubs a hand over his chest. If anything that feeling, the quiet fluttering behind his sternum, is stronger than it was that morning.

"My boyfriend is a vampire." He says out loud, just to hear how it sounds. Smiling he opens the door and walks downstairs.


End file.
